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Monday, November 1, 2010

Honoring our Ancestors

Hi everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful and magical Halloween.  I have no card to share with you today but hope you will indulge me for a moment....I would like to share our family's newest tradition...celebrating Day of the Dead.  I've always been fascinated by Dia de los Muertos and we thought it would be a wonderful idea to make a special day where we honor our ancestors and celebrate their lives.  Our daughter learned about Dia de los Muertos in her Spanish class and talked non-stop about it.  She brought home coloring pages and skull masks she made in school.  So yesterday, we gathered photos and memorabilia of our family and beloved pets and created our own Dia de los Muertos la ofrenda that you see above.  In this way we honor our family and let them know that they are with us in thought and spirit.   (click on the picture for a bigger view)

Our daughter, Arden, was so excited by this holiday that she asked to go to a local import boutique that offered Day of the Dead crafts for children.  She remembered that we happened upon it last year and asked to go again--much to the delight of the shopkeeper!  This weekend, she made the sugar skull you see in the front of the picture.  They have authentic sugar skulls, imported from Mexico, and all kinds of trims and decorations to embellish to her heart's content.  In fact, she is so excited about it that she is sharing it with you over on her blog, Arden's Garden of Crafts.  I know she would love to hear from you!

Whether your family is near or far, take a moment to send them good thoughts today and light a candle for them.  You will be glad that you did.  Thanks for stopping by and for  listening!

5 comments:

Christina said...

Just shared this with my hubby because I think it's a wonderful idea and such a nice way to share our family history with our kids. Sometimes our little ones can be our best teachers, can't they? It's so great that you were able to incorporate this celebration into your own family's traditions. Thanks for sharing!

Anne Marie Hile said...

This is great, Nance! What a wonderful way to remember and celebrate the lives of loved ones. Your little gal is very crafty, too! :)

Diane - oliver.mdiane@comcast.net said...

Nance,
What a great idea. I will pass this along to my daughter to share with her kids to help explain a great way to remember family that has passed (without being afraid of the skulls). My grandkids are all scardy cats. 8-)
PS: I have my FAVS blog list that I check daily, so I actually saw Arden's blog before yours.... She did such a great job on her projects.

Nancy said...

Wow, I didn't expect to tear up this early in the morning. What a lovely remembrance of our loved ones and a great teaching tool for Arden.
Thanks Arden for bringing home a wonderful new tradition!

Tara Bilbao said...

Nance, what a beautiful idea and your display is so lovely. Again, you are such an inspiration.